


The Grass is Brown, but You Look Green

by Astral_Bees



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Ben is Bennie, Camp Counselor AU, Eddie is Edie, F/F, F/M, I dont know what else to say, Lesbian Reddie fic, Modern Day, Nonbinary Stanley Uris, Other, Stanlon - Freeform, and the others stay the same, and whatever Bill and Audra would be called, background benverly, but Richie is Rikki, female Ben, i dont know how long this is going to be, pretty straightforward, reddie focused, they're all about 19 in this, we will all find out together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 20,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23121919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astral_Bees/pseuds/Astral_Bees
Summary: Rikki and Edie are both returning camp counselors at a local summer camp. They’ve never interacted much, but they’ve seen each other around the camp and around town. However, when they get placed in the same cabin and thrown together for a number of activities, Rikki and Edie start to get closer.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris
Comments: 7
Kudos: 49





	1. Just Go, Edie

“Kitty cat, are you sure you have everything you need? Bandages? Your first-aid kit? Your inhaler? You know how bad your asthma gets when you’re around allergens!”

Edith stared down at her open bag, checking the contents for the third time that morning and the seventh time in total. Her mother’s voice was loud even though she was calling from down the hall. Of course she had everything packed, but the worry from her mom made her want to dump everything out and repack it all to make sure. But she didn’t have time for that.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Edie hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mom was already waiting. Mrs. Kaspbrak watched Edie gather the last of her supplies and then pulled a prescription bottle out of her pocket. The orange plastic created a glow on her hand as she held the container out, offering it to Edie with a strained smile. The label on the bottle didn’t match the contents, but Mrs. Kaspbrak insisted on keeping Edie’s medicine in pill bottles. Still, even without a proper label, Edie knew they were her allergy meds. It was the one she hadn’t packed away in her smaller pouch for pills.

“Your allergies are going to be terrible out there. I don’t know why you insist on going back to that camp. You should stay home with me and we can watch whatever movies you want… As long as they aren’t inappropriate. Please, Kitty.”

“No, I have to go. I said I would and it’s the day of and I have to go. I love you; I’ll call you when I get there,” Edie grabbed the bottle from her mom’s hand and shoved it into the pouch hanging off of her backpack. “Now, I really have to go. Bye bye!”

Before her mom could say anything to convince her to stay, Edie grabbed the last of her supplies and rushed out the front door. She picked up her pace as she walked to Bill’s house, hoping to get there before ten. The last thing Edie wanted was to be late getting to camp and she knew how Bill and the others were. An hour with them felt like ten minutes and it seemed like Bill drove like a grandma whenever she had somewhere she needed to be.

Sitting in Bill’s car, she stared at the back of his head and tried to calm her breath. She didn’t actually get motion sickness, but she did work herself into a frenzy over the idea of puking which in turn made her feel sick. So, she concentrated on things inside the car.

Audra kept flipping through the radio stations looking for something she liked, shaking her head or sighing every few minutes. Bennie was reading a thin book, sticking tabs on some of the pages. And Edie was seconds away from tucking her head between her legs. She sucked in a sharp breath and turned towards Bennie.

“Talk to me. About anything.”

Bennie’s eyes flicked up and she smiled warmly despite the worry in her expression.

“Of course. What are you going to do when you get to camp? What are you excited about?” Bennie poked Edie’s leg as she spoke.

“I want to sign in, get my stuff in my cabin, and fade out of existence. Really looking forward to that last bit.”

She closed her eyes and rested her head on Bennie’s shoulder.

“Sure you are. I hope you have a good time and don’t fade out of existence. It always sucks when you’re gone for the summer, but I’m proud of you for doing this again.”

Edie’s breathing calmed as she listened to Bennie start to ramble on about the book she was reading. Apparently, it was poetry. Bennie sounded really passionate about it as she talked and talked, reciting certain poems from the book.

The rest of the ride passed without much issue. And soon enough Bennie was nudging Edie to point out the entrance to the camp. The sign hung from an archway, welcoming them to Camp Chrysanthemum.

Edie hopped out as soon as Bill stopped the car and started pulling her bags out. The others helped her carry her things to the front office for Edie to sign in and then to her cabin once she was done. With her bags resting on her bunk, the four gathered outside to say goodbye.

“Duh-don’t forget us wh-hile your gone,” Bill said, solemnly.

He placed a hand on Edie’s shoulder and shook his head sadly. Edie smirked and swatted his hand away, sticking her tongue out at him briefly.

The rest of them said their goodbyes and hugged, finally parting ways. After the others had actually gone, Edie headed back inside the cabin to get her things sorted. Plus, she had to take her allergy meds before her sinuses went to shit.


	2. Pancakes and Apples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same morning, but this time Rikki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch two! This is from Rikki's perspective

Before she even opened her eyes, Rikki could tell there was someone lying next to her. Bev was staring back at her when she checked to see who it was. She had a wide grin plastered across her face and her curls were smooshed against the pillow.

“I know you haven’t left yet, but I need you to promise me that we’ll keep in constant contact. I just don’t know how I’ll last through the summer without you again,” she flopped onto her back and threw an arm over her face as she spoke. “You’re the only thing getting me up in the morning. What will I do now that you’re leaving me, darling?”

Rikki smiled at her and let out a loud snort, shoving her playfully.

“Oh please, we all know you’re counting down the seconds till I leave. Just waiting to get me out of your curly, curly clown hair.”

Bev looked back over at her and they sat in a brief silence before Rikki decided she really did need to start getting ready for the day ahead of her. She pulled her biggest backpack out of her closet, shoving as many items of clothing into it as she could manage. Pushing everything down to make more room, she accomplished her goal of packing what she figured she would need.

The two girls got ready and headed out to the living room of their apartment, arms linked together. Rikki set her bag down and hurried over to the counter where Stan was sitting on a wobbly barstool.

“Barkeep! I’d like your finest ale and a stack of pancakes!” Rikki had her hands on the counter, hopping up and down waiting for Mike to acknowledge her.

He dipped his head in a nod, not bothering to turn around until the first batch of decent pancakes had finished cooking. Pulling a few plates down, Mike started dishing out the pancakes making sure to keep the number even on each plate.

“Here you go. Don’t choke.”

Rikki saluted and sat down on the ground, shoveling the pancakes into her mouth despite Mike’s warning.

“Hey Staniel, do you think I could borrow your car? I want to start the drive to camp after I’m done with Mike’s sexually awakening breakfast,” She stuck her bottom lip out and stared up at them. “Pwetty pwease? I’ll be your bestest fwiend.”

Stan sighed softly, looking at Rikki with fake disappointment.

“Why do you have to make everything uncomfortable? It’s just food.”

Rikki nodded, “True, but I would also sleep with Mike to have more. And making things uncomfortable is my gift, you know that.”

“Fine, I don’t like it, but fine. I’m riding with you though so I can drive my car back after you’re done. And you already are my best friend, dumbass.”

“Aww, Stan! You love me!”

The group finished up and headed out to Stan’s car. Bev insisted on tagging along, jumping into the backseat as soon as the doors were unlocked, but Mike decided to stay and clean up. He pulled Rikki into a warm hug and they had a quick goodbye.

Driving away, Rikki honked the horn twice for Mike. She had Stan be the DJ, making them change the station whenever she thought the song sucked.

By the halfway mark, all three of them were singing along with the radio like a bunch of hyenas. Bev pulled herself closer, sticking her head through the gap between their seats. 

And Stan had grabbed Rikki’s hairbrush and held it in front of Bev’s face like a microphone. Rikki made sure to pay attention to the road ahead of her, but she was still singing through laughter whether she got the full picture or not.

The archway with the camp sign appeared sooner than any of them had been expecting and Rikki pulled off to the side of the dirt path. She climbed out of the driver’s side, standing by the car for the others to get out. Bev brought Rikki’s bag out with her and handed it over, the three waiting for a moment before saying goodbye. Stan turned Rikki around and shoved her hairbrush back into her backpack, making sure they didn’t forget.

Bev kissed Rikki’s cheek, ruffling her hair as she moved away. Stan gave a quick one-armed hug that Bev joined in on hallway through. The two got back in the car, Stan behind the wheel this time, and Rikki flicked them off as they backed up.

She watched as they drove before heading up to sign in and then walked over to her cabin. Rikki didn’t notice anyone when she entered the cabin and she set her bags down on a top bunk. It wasn’t until she pulled back from the bunk that she saw someone sitting cross-legged on the bottom bunk. The girl was familiar, even hidden slightly by the shadow of the bed.

“Hope you don’t mind I’m on top,” Rikki grinned, waiting for a response.

“Why would I? I chose the bottom bunk.”

“Touché.”

She waited for the bunk girl to say something else, trying to figure out who she was. But after a bit without a response, Rikki resorted to crouching in front of the bottom bunk.

“Oh, Eden! Right?”

“Actually, it’s Edith.”

“Whatever you say, Apple.”

“What?” Edie scooted forward on her bunk, getting a better look at Rikki.

“Like the garden of eden. Y’know, cause apples.”

“That is the worst. My name isn’t even Eden, it’s Edith. E D I T H.” Edie’s face was all scrunched up and it was taking everything for Rikki to keep from laughing. She covered her  
mouth and let out a snort.

Edith frowned and then cracked just a bit, laughing softly. The two waited in tense silence as they tried to hold back their laughter. But the moment ended when Edie pushed herself off of the bunk and passed Rikki, exiting the cabin.

Rikki finally released her laughter. And even though her face was hot from suppressing the laughs pouring out of her, she knew that wasn’t the only reason her face was hot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! Stay safe and practice social distancing!


	3. First Day Jitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of day one, but now they're fully at camp.

Edie forced herself to keep walking, away from Rikki and away from the laughter. She didn’t need another nickname that made zero sense. She didn’t need the attention Rikki brought with her.

She just needed to breathe.

The kids were still filing into camp and she wouldn’t have any real responsibilities until later in the afternoon, but still. She had to find something to do with herself. Edie could only think of one thing at the moment, so she headed down to get the schedule she had looked for earlier. She didn’t know all of the activities she would be in charge of, aside from the usual.

Capture the flag and the obstacle course were guaranteed to be on her schedule and she was basically an unofficial camp nurse but other than that, anything was fair game.

However, when she got up to the main office, they still hadn’t printed out any of the schedules. Edie knew that that wasn’t a big deal, certainly not something to stress about. Did that mean that she didn’t stress about it though? No, not at all. She tugged gently on her earlobe, trying to calm herself down.

It wasn’t a big deal. She’d find out what she’d be doing soon enough. It wasn’t a big deal. It just wasn’t.

She turned on her heal and headed straight back to the cabin, keeping a rhythm in her head that matched the one her feet made on the ground. Part of her wanted to call Bill up and have him drive her back home. She wanted to be somewhere else. She wanted to know what she was doing.

Edie sat down on the front stoop of her cabin, taking in gulps of air. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down.

“You ok?”

She pushed herself to nod, not daring to go as far as opening her eyes.

“First day jitters,” Edie managed between breaths.

Rikki plopped down next to her and just sat with her. The quiet sense of company helped ease Edie off of whatever metaphorical ledge she had been on.

“Thanks,” she said, opening her eyes to look over at Rikki.

It hit her in the calm after her storm what a terrible dresser Rikki was. She had a bright blue Hawaiian shirt over an even brighter green hoodie. And to top it all off, her pant legs were different lengths. The air that had been escaping her suddenly ballooned inside as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snorting.

Rikki smiled, bowed her head, and simply said, “M’lady.”

Edie rolled her eyes and stood back up. There was something about Rikki that made her want to flee. She just needed to get away again.

So, that’s exactly what she did.

\--

Rikki watched Edie leave, not bothering to try and catch up with her. She would have plenty of time to make a lasting impression. Instead, she gathered herself and headed to the craft room.

Pulling out her phone, Rikki took a picture of the various colors of string they had and sent it off to Bev. She needed intel on what colors she, Mike, and Stan wanted for their friendship bracelets. As she waited for a reply, she pulled the one of the yellow bundles from the lineup and set it in a supply bucket off to the side. Bev got back to her quickly enough, relaying that they wanted red, green, and blue, respectively.

Rikki placed the other colors into the same bucket and started writing Bev about anything she could think of. Even stuff that didn’t really have any end, or beginning, or middle. Basically, just shitty half-baked stories. She gave up on texting halfway through and just decided to call Bev to continue the conversation.

When she mentioned Edie though, Bev seemed to pay a little more attention than before. She asked simple questions like how Edie was doing and whether they were getting along. To both of which Rikki replied with I don’t know. Bev sighed dramatically, moving on from the Edie part of the conversation. After about an hour on the phone, the two ended the call and Rikki headed out to see if anyone needed anything from her.

The main office had finally put out the schedules, so she decided to grab hers while she was wandering about. There wasn’t anything for her to do for the next hour or so and she was already getting bored of just standing around. She decided to go back to the cabin and grab some comics she had shoved in her bag earlier.

Settling down on her bunk, Rikki started reading. She checked the time every once in a while, waiting for her first activity to start.

It took what seemed like forever, but was really just a little over an hour, for the speakers to sound, requesting the following counselors to gather at the main stage: Melanie Hardwick, Rikki Tozier, Kay Darling, and Edith Kaspbrak. Rikki perked up at the mention of Edie’s name, but tried to play it cool. Even though she was only playing it cool for herself.

She hopped off her bunk and strolled down to the main stage. Edie and Kay were already there, talking quietly amongst themselves. Rikki started flailing her arms in the air to get Edie’s attention, but she didn’t look over. 

Ok, fine. She didn’t need to look over. They didn’t really know each other. She just wanted to make sure Edie was doing alright. Yeah. That was all.

Her fingers played with the hem of her Hawaiian shirt as they all stood around for the senior camp counselors. And Melanie. Rikki knew why they were there, but there were formalities to be had and niceties to be exchanged. She just wanted to get on with the performances. It was her favorite part of being a counselor last year and she was fairly certain that wasn’t about to change.

\--

Edie had been relieved when she went up to the main office for a third time and they had actually had her schedule ready for her. But standing near the stage, with Rikki trying to get her to look over. It wasn’t what she’d had in mind.

And the thing was. She didn’t hate Rikki. Honestly, she didn’t know how she felt about her. There was just something in her that got all squirmy whenever they bumped into each other around town. And it was even worse now that she knew they would be trapped in such close proximity. It would’ve been easier with anyone else. If she shared a bunk bed with Kay? That would have been absolutely fine. Kay was nice and not confusing. She wasn’t Rikki.

So, she forced herself to pay attention to the conversation she was in instead of Rikki’s swinging arms in her peripheral. Edie could manage avoiding Rikki. She could do that. She had years of practice at sneaking into her room at night, that could translate to sneaking away from someone.

Her attention was pulled away from her thoughts and Kay as one of the senior counselors took the stage. They smiled out at the four girls standing on the grass and tapped the microphone, sending out a small bit of feedback. Everyone grimaced but pushed on with the moment. Edie knew she needed to listen carefully; she hadn’t been a part of the drama activities the prior year. Sure, she had attended the final performance, but that was it.

“Hi, counselors! We have you here to go over rules for the auditions. This year we are putting on a musical!” The senior counselor waited for any reaction, but when they didn’t get one, they continued on with their speech. “In just a few minutes, the little ones will form a line to audition one by one. We will need them organized by character. So, Rikki, Kay, do you think you can handle that for me?”

The two nodded quickly.

“Great! Mel, I need you to play the piano if any of the kids feel like they need music. And Edie, you are going to be taking names down of who’s auditioning for which role. So, if you could join Kay and Rikki that would be fantastic! Ok, everybody know what they’re doing?”

Once again, they paused for a response getting nods from all four of the girls.

“One last thing before I go, you four get to make the final choices. After you get everybody sorted, take your seats at that table there and figure out who’s playing whom.   
Remember, everyone gets a role, big or small. And most importantly, have fun!”

And with that, they hopped off the stage and hurried to go instruct the next group of counselors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished writing all of the chapters, so the updates will be more frequent. Might make a pinterest board and/or spotify playlist for this fic, not sure. Have a nice day!


	4. Under the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know what I should put for the chapter summary. Uh, still the first day. They're stuck with each other

Rikki wandered over to where the kids had assembled, joining Kay in asking which character they were auditioning for. The undecided ones went at the end of the line and the ones auditioning for main characters went at the front with everyone else falling somewhere in between. Her eyes shifted over to Edie writing down names, but she made herself pay attention to the task at hand.

She and Kay headed back over and sat at the table, waiting for Edie to finish up. Melanie was already prepped at the piano, playing a simple melody as Edie joined Rikki and Kay.

One by one, the kids filed onstage and performed their songs and a small portion of dialogue. A number of the campers sang their hearts out with small, shaky voices and Rikki couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly happy. She adored the energy these anxious kids put into their auditions and if she could have found a way to keep them calm, she would have. They were such brave little performers giving it their all.

Melanie played gently for the campers, repeating the opening notes whenever any of the kids seemed particularly nervous. It didn’t take long to get through the main character auditions, and they took a short break to decide the first few roles, noting the ones that they still weren’t sure about. While they wrote everything down, Rikki sent a quick text to Bev letting her know that they were putting on The Little Mermaid. Her response was overly enthusiastic, and Rikki couldn’t help but think about her being there in the middle of all of it. She wouldn’t fit with the age range of the campers, but she would have made for a great Ariel.

They got through the rest of the auditions within the hour, fully aware that the show would be a bit of a jumbled mess from all of the lines they would have to add. Rikki was just glad that she wouldn’t have to deal with that. Kay was the one that always took over script changes whether they were to make the original script more appropriate or if it was to allow for more characters.

But there was another thought that was bouncing around her head as they put away the table and chairs. What if Bev could help out?

She had clearly been excited, and she obviously couldn’t be in the musical, but she could help. There was always costume design and for a camp like Camp Chrysanthemum, there were almost never any good costumes. The kids could feel like proper actors for a night. If Bev agreed.

\--

The kids certainly tried their best. But boy, were they loud.

Edie was good enough with kids, she was allowed to come back as a counselor after all. Though she had a hard time with keeping her expression blank or positive throughout the auditions. It wasn’t intentional, but she was relieved when the last camper had finished.

As soon as the kids had dispersed and they were putting everything away, Edie did her share of the work quickly. She needed to go somewhere else and finally call her mom. It was a miracle that her mom hadn’t called her up since it had been longer than she had meant to wait. Melanie had already finished and gone off to get to her next activity, but Rikki and Kay were talking amongst themselves as they continued. Curiosity filled Edie as she moved closer to put the last of the notes away and she had to force herself to focus on the task at hand instead of a conversation she wasn’t even a part of.

With her mom’s number pulled up, she hurried off to a secluded area and called. Mrs. Kaspbrak answered on the first ring.

“Kitty cat! Are you alright? Do you need to come home?”

Her mother’s frantic tone surrounded her and for a second she lost control of the air in her lungs. She felt like a deflated balloon.

Edie looked around and counted a few of her surroundings, slowing her heartbeat and allowing her chest to fill back up with air. She let herself take a second before she got back to her mom. It was what she needed, but she couldn’t wait too long or her mom would think she’d died on the phone. Edie took one more breath and made herself talk.

“Hi mom. I’m ok, everything’s fine. I’m staying at camp though. Just wanted to call and let you know that I’m safe, like I said I would.”

She could hear her mom sigh on the other side of the line and even though she wanted it to be relief, she knew it was disappointment. The only way it could have been relief was if she had said she was coming home.

“Are you sure? I could still rent a movie if you decided to come home and I’m sure that Denbrough boy could drive you back.” Mrs. Kaspbrak’s voice was still slightly hopeful, but primarily pushy.

“I’m positive, I’m staying. And Bill is busy taking care of his brother for the rest of the week, so no, he couldn’t drive me back. Now, I have to go. Love you mom.” Edie rushed the conversation along, wanting to get out of it as soon as possible.

“I love you too Edie, but I really wish-”

Fully aware that she would hear about it later, Edie hung up on her mom. She would just tell her the call dropped since she was out in the woods. Hopefully, that would work. And if it didn’t, that was a problem for future her, she couldn’t dwell on it. Even if she was a master at dwelling on the things she couldn’t change.

Her phone felt heavy in her hand, but she tucked it into her pocket and carried herself back to the cabin. Thankfully it was empty, and she could do what she needed to do. Wash her hands and take the pills she always took before dinner.

After dinner, the first nightly campfire started up. It was hokey and made the whole experience feel like a bad disney channel movie, but Edie kind of loved it. The light and warmth from the fire never failed to hold her in the moment and reassure her that she was really at camp. No one could skip the first campfire, unless they were sick, but Edie couldn’t think of why you would want to. If she had gone to Camp Chrysanthemum when she was younger, she would have expected campfires and smores and guitar playing. It was perfectly cheesy.

Kids fidgeted on the chairs and benches around her and others were absorbed in making the perfect smores. And somehow in the middle of all of it, Rikki had found her again. Which wouldn’t have been so bad if she wasn’t trying to avoid her.

Edie also couldn’t wrap her head around why Rikki had latched onto her. There were a number of other counselors and it wasn’t like they were the only two people sharing their cabin. But she figured she could handle one night of Rikki Tozier. Just one though.

“So, Fritter, what’d you think of all of the kiddos earlier? Did you feel like you were under the sea?”

“No,” Edie kept her eyes on the fire as she spoke. “And don’t call me Fritter. None of your nicknames make sense.”

“Oh, c’mon! I’m lovable. If you let me, I could be your baccf!” Rikki’s eyes were bright, and she had a dopey grin. It infuriated Edie, but she still had no clue why.

“What the fuck is a baccf?” Edie dropped her voice halfway through, remembering where they were and who they were surrounded by. Accidentally teaching kids ‘fuck’ probably wouldn’t get her an open invitation to return next year.

Rikki gasped dramatically.

“Edith Kaspbrak! Cursing in front of children! You should be ashamed of yourself. I’m ashamed of yourself.”

She tilted her head, the grin never leaving her face.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she glanced over at Rikki with a slight scowl.

“Right you are, old chap! Baccf, best annoying camp counselor friend. That could be me all for the low low price of zero dollars,” Rikki paused, cutting off her terrible English accent, and pretended to dust off her shoulder. “I know, I know, I’m a little pricey. But why shouldn’t I be? I’m worth it.”

Edie’s scowl deepened and she turned her gaze back to the flames licking the air.

“What do you say? Want me as your baccf?”

Refusing to look at her again, Edie just shook her head. Rikki was already one part of the acronym, annoying. And that was enough.

Rikki shrugged her shoulders in Edie’s peripheral vision and got up to go. A part of Edie, that was bigger than she would like to admit, wanted to get her to stay. She understood that part of herself a little more than the part of her that wanted to hide from Rikki, and it made her uncomfortable.

Why was she so conflicted over one stupid girl?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be asleep. But I'm not. Have a nice day! :)


	5. Pinky Promise it's Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendship Bracelets! Friendship Bracelets! Friendship Bracelets! And the beginning of a love confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize ahead of time for Bev's contact name in Rikki's phone. It was originally going to be Dam Girl (not much better, I know), but then I made the typo and I couldn't change it

The nightmares were still there, but Rikki had been able to sleep through the night. And the following morning they faded almost completely. Almost. A pale face with bright red makeup stuck in the back of her mind until a little after she had gotten dressed.

She had thrown one of the new camp shirts on over a pink and purple striped shirt. Looking down at herself, Rikki decided the outfit would be comfy enough for the day ahead. It wasn’t like she was scheduled for anything that would make her sweat. Unless Edie was there, then she might drench her shirt with nerves. Especially after the previous night.

Strolling down to get a quick bite to eat, Rikki realized she had forgotten to check Bev’s response from the day before. Checking her phone showed her she also had a text waiting for her from Stan.

Dam Girk: you better not be fucking with me or I will BREAK YOUR KNEECAPS xoxo luv ya

Urinator: Mike wants to know how your first day went. I would like to know how many children you have scared into the woods. Answer soon or perish

She typed out her responses as she walked: no lie, no fool, u should work on some ez designs xoxo fuck ya

tell mikey he can text me himself, i dont bite,,, unless he wants me to. and u should know that the children view me as their benevolent god. fear me (oh, and tell mike it went well and that i love him)

She grabbed a bagel and sat down at one of the picnic tables, nibbling as she stared at her phone, not really processing what she was looking at. The first couple of days of camp always sucked a little bit when she thought about Bev, Stan, and Mike. It felt like they were always together, but Rikki’s continuous choice to be a camp counselor pulled them apart during the summer. She didn’t regret it, but she did miss them. Bev visiting would be a nice change of pace if she was really able to.

Finished with her food, Rikki pulled a pad of paper out of her pocket and wrote a couple of notes down. As her mind began to wander, she doodled a few stick figures in the lower corners of the pages. She watched the figure move along the bottom of the pages as she flipped through.

Rikki stuck her tongue out slightly while she focused on drawing a couple of stick figures walking on the back of her hand. In the middle of the last one, the speakers reverberated with a general announcement that friendship bracelet making would start in thirty minutes. The sound distracted her enough to pull her attention away from the half-finished figure and she got up without remembering to complete the stick man’s legs.

\--

Edie looked like a Boohbah in the fluffy pink jacket Bennie had lent her. She wasn’t mad about it though, the jacket was warm and comforting and made her think of Bennie. Besides, it was cold enough to warrant the extra layer and Edie had her mom’s voice in the back of her head telling her to bundle up. Getting sick wouldn’t help her anyway.

Inside the craft room, she slipped the jacket off and tied the sleeves around her waist. Edie started pulling the different bundles of string down from the shelves and placed them in a neat row on the center table. The door creaked open behind her, and Edie whipped around to see Rikki standing in the doorway. Of course she would be in charge of making friendship bracelets with Rikki. Of fucking course. Luck just didn’t seem to be on her side.

Rikki scooted passed her, more silent than she had been at any point the day before. She paused in front of one of the shelves and then proceeded to grab a small bin towards the top. Edie watched in confusion for a moment, but the campers started to file in and broke her concentration.

She took a seat at the table and began the main instruction for the activity. Most of the kids were paying enough attention that they didn’t need extra help, but there were a few stragglers that Edie and Rikki assisted one-on-one. They checked in every once in a while to see if anyone needed more training or if there was a spat over a certain color. But after everyone was taken care of the two of them sat down and got to making their own friendship bracelets.

Edie pulled some orange, grey, and purple string towards her with a few lighter colors to act as filler. Working carefully and taking her time, she wove a fiery orange bracelet with some added greys and yellow. Then she moved on to a grey, golden yellow, and lilac purple for her second. The last one was a variety of shades of purple with some light blue to provide a little change.

“What’s your favorite color? Don’t think, just answer,” Rikki’s, already familiar, voice sounded in her ear.

She flinched away, messing up a knot in her final bracelet, and turned to look up at Rikki.

“Why?”

“That’s classified information. Now seriously, favorite color?”

“Will you leave me alone if I tell you?”

Rikki nodded and stuck out her pinky, which Edie ignored.

“Fine, pink.”

A smile spread across Rikki’s face and there was some sort of warmth in Edie’s chest. Anger. Definitely. And then she did as she had said she would, and Rikki left her alone.

Bill would have to be fine with a small mistake in his bracelet, Edie wasn’t going to start over and waste all of her work. She had an excuse and the rest of the knots were in order. Besides, Edie knew that Bill didn’t mind mistakes the same way she did. He was a lot more relaxed about that shit. Her nervousness was all on her.

Fingers moving cautiously, Edie monitored the last of the knots for any other errors. She finished up with Bill’s bracelet and slipped the three into her shorts’ pocket. The campers seemed to be doing well and when she glanced over at Rikki, she saw that she was absorbed in making her own bracelets.

After the kids had all finished, they began to get a bit restless and even though the activity wasn’t technically done, Rikki and Edie decided to let them out early. It was camp, not school after all.

Edie pulled Bennie’s jacket back on and sat down at a nearby table, watching the campers run off to spend time with their friends. She saw that she had a missed call from her mom and a couple of texts from Bill and Audra. There were also a few texts from her mom, but it was easy to tell what those would be simply based on the fact that Edie hadn’t seen her call.

Checking the different messages, she saw that she was right about the content of the ones from her mom. Basically, a column of confusion and worry as to why Edie wasn’t answering her. She also seemed to be pleading with her to come back home. The first week of camp the year before had been filled with the same thing from Mrs. Kaspbrak. It was all worry and control with her until she realized Edie would be staying for the entirety of camp, then it switched to worry and control but with more time in between.

She took care of her mom first, calling her back and having as short of a conversation as she could manage. Then Edie looked at the texts from Bill and Audra.

BDE: hope ur doing alright. maybe i could drive you back down here for a movie next week? would the counselor gods allow that?

Audra <3 : hey, babe. call me soon, wanna talk about something. nothing bad, plz don’t worry urself

Edie wrote a quick reply to Bill, letting him know she’s well and will check with the senior counselors. Once she had sent that off, she called Audra up right away.

“Auds?” the worry was audible in Edie’s voice.

“I thought I told you not to freak out.” Audra’s soft tone came through the line, giving Edie a sense of calm.

“You did, but it sounded serious. Is everything ok? You and Bill didn’t break up, did you? He didn’t say anything about it. I’m not being insensitive, am I?” she winced at the rapid-fire questions spilling out of her, reminding her so strongly of her mother.

“Everything’s fine. Like I said, it’s nothing bad. Bill and I are fine, though I’ve been thinking lately…”

“Yes?”

“You’ve known Bill since you were practically in diapers, so I know you get how he reacts to things. I was wondering if you thought it would freak him out if I told him that I-” Audra paused, took a breath, and continued. “That I love him?”

Edie’s breath caught in her throat, but it was different than usual.

“Really?” she asked in a small voice.

“Yeah, I’m just kinda nervous to tell him.”

She nodded even though Audra couldn’t see. “Well, I think that you should tell him whenever you’re comfortable. But, I also think he’d be happy to hear that.”

“Ok, thanks babe. I need to go think about some things. Talk to you later?” Edie could hear the smile in Audra’s voice.

“Definitely. Good luck.”

And with that, Edie was sitting on a bench, aware of something big that she couldn’t tell anyone she trusted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, I luv them. Like Reddie in general, not my version specifically. Alrighty, have a nice day! :)


	6. Sink or Swim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone's uncomfy and someone's in wet clothes

The following day started off with a bang. Or more so a splash.

Rikki had snuck out early in the morning, unable to sleep throughout the night. She found her way down to the edge of the pier and sat with her feet dangling off the edge. Pen in hand, Rikki scribbled lyrics for her band that didn’t exist. Yet. Despite the knowledge that her voice was painfully average, she was determined to have a band at some point. Bev could sing and Rikki knew she had the power to convince her to join whenever she got around to forming it.

While stuck in her own head, Rikki hadn’t noticed the figure approaching behind her. She hummed a melody with her eyes closed, trying to piece together a song she’d been working on for a bit. Her fingers tapped on the notebook sitting next to her as a substitute for percussion.

“How are you everywhere I go?”

Rikki jumped in her own skin, trying to turn towards the voice. Her jerky movements and flailing arms caused her to lose her balance and she tumbled over into the water.

“Oh my god!” Edie’s sudden fright combined with a bark of a laugh and she threw herself onto her knees to offer Rikki her hand. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea that would happen.”

Soaked through and looking like a drowned rat, Rikki paddled over to Edie’s outstretched hand and took it. For a moment she considered pulling her forward and into the water with her, but she didn’t want to ruin their tentative acquaintanceship by doing so. What she wanted was for Edie to be her friend and making her a sopping mess wasn’t going to help that.

The two of them managed to get Rikki back onto the pier without too much of a struggle. She wrapped her arms around herself and stood up, wanting to grab new clothes.

“Wait right here!” Edie said as she turned and ran towards a shed by the side of the lake.

So, Rikki did exactly as she was told. She waited despite the air and her desperate want to get changed. But she knew where Edie was going and if it made her feel better to get a towel for her, Rikki was going to wait.

It only took a few minutes for Edie to return, towel in hand. She wrapped it around Rikki’s shoulders and grabbed the notebook that was still resting on the pier. The two walked back to their cabin and Edie placed the book on Rikki’s bunk. There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other, unable to find anything to say.

“I, um, I need to get changed.” Rikki said after a beat.

Edie gave a quick nod as response, looking anywhere but Rikki now that she had spoken.

When she came back out, fully dried off and dressed in clean clothes, Edie was already gone.

\--

The eating area was packed when Edie entered, looking for some place to sit. She always put together a couple of meals for the start of camp since she was nervous, she would eat something that would trigger one of the allergies she knew she didn’t have. By the second week her mom’s incessant nonsense about what food she could eat faded from her mind a bit and she was able to eat the food that they prepared at camp, but the first few days? Forget it. She was still riding on the fumes of ‘don’t forget your pills’ and ‘you know you aren’t strong enough to do that’ to even think about eating something she didn’t make.

Edie unwrapped her sandwich and took a small bite, thinking about how much better she’d be in a couple of days. More comfortable and ready to take on the camp. However, her thoughts were interrupted when Rikki sat down across from her at her table.

“I didn’t get to say thank you, Apple Pie.” Her usual dopey grin was back with a vengeance and Edie wanted to just ignore her, but she knew that wouldn’t solve anything.

“You’re welcome. Now, if you don’t mind,” she gestured down to her food.

“Oh, I don’t mind. Go ahead and eat! I’ll just sit here with ya.”

A silence fell over the two of them and Edie rolled her eyes, frowning slightly as she took another bite of her sandwich. It wasn’t necessarily an uncomfortable silence, but it was unexpected. For one, Edie was constantly surprised any time Rikki was silent and two, she had been planning on eating on her own.

“Give me one second, I need to do something,” Rikki hopped up from her seat and hurried towards the food line.

There was one other unexpected thing. Edie wasn’t quite so sure she wanted to avoid Rikki. Only a few days in and she’d already managed to grow on her like some weird, annoying fungus. She still wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about Rikki, but she knew she didn’t hate her. Maybe she even wanted to be her friend.

Rikki sat back down and slid a container across the table to Edie.

“Here you go!”

“What the fuck is this?”

“Someone needs to learn not to swear in front of children. I never took you for a rebel but look at ya! One more time and you’ll have completed the rule of threes,” Rikki laughed softly to herself as she spoke.

Part of Edie wanted to let go and laugh along with her, but she kept her composure. She had control over herself and she wasn’t about to let that go.

“Oh, just take it! Come on!”

Edie opened the box and looked inside.

“Pie?”

“Apple pie!”

“Oh,” Edie raised her eyes to Rikki’s face and sat for a moment in her stupid grin. “You do know that my name isn’t Eden, right? And even if it was, Apple is a terrible nickname to take from that. It only makes sense when you explain it, numbnuts.”

Rikki laughed louder, miming wiping a tear from her eye.

“How you wound me! I don’t know if I’ll survive the night knowing that’s how you feel about my perfectly crafted nickname.”

Edie stuck her tongue out at Rikki, and something shifted. She didn’t want to hide anymore, she wanted Rikki to see her, and she wanted to laugh. In the process of opening her mouth to speak, a small giggle escaped her and transformed into full-fledged laughter.

“There’s no way I’m eating that by the way,” she said around her mouthful of chucks.

Rikki didn’t say a thing as she pulled the pie back over to her, she just took a bite and showed Edie her chewed up food, eliciting an attempt at a kick from under the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this chapter now to procrastinate on a test I need to get done. Three cheers for anxiety! Seriously tho, have a nice day! <3


	7. Matchmaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bev and Bennie visit camp and Edie's a little sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for vomit,,, I'm sorry for anyone that is sensitive to that

The next few days passed with an expansion of what had already been happening. Rikki and Edie were stuck with each other for some activities, separated for others. And though the ice was thawing, it wasn’t quite warm yet. But Rikki wasn’t going to give up now that she’d noticed things had begun to change.

However, her attention had shifted from trying to get Edie to like her for the day. Because Bev was coming. And even though she knew it would still be a bit before she actually arrived, Rikki kept looking toward the entrance to camp. Bouncing her leg up and down, she couldn’t hide the energy bubbling up inside of her. It had only been about a week since she last saw any of the three, but she felt homesick being away from them. Seeing Bev would be a welcome change.

It was a big part of why she hadn’t noticed that Edie was still in the cabin. Even after her name had been called twice for her biweekly shift at the obstacle course.

\--

This was because Edie currently had her head in a bucket.

Bennie, who texted the night before to say she was coming up in the morning, arrived to find Edie looking positively irradiated. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked panicked. This was a clear signal to Bennie that she needed to grab a damp towel and bucket.

The two were sitting on Edie’s bunk, Edie hunched over and Bennie holding her sweat-dampened hair back. Somehow, the bucket was still empty despite how nauseous Edie was. So, Bennie tried to get her to think about something else. She and Edie both knew how good she was at getting whipped up into a frenzy over her health. Or anyone’s health for that matter. It was amazing she was still breathing normally.

And as Bennie was going to say something, it finally happened. Edie curled into the bucket with more force than any of her dry heaves had required. A mix of colorful chunks spewed out of her and once she was done she looked up at Bennie with slightly hollowed eyes.

“Can you get me water? Please?” tears were forming, and Bennie was up in an instant.

Though as she made to leave, Bennie turned back and quickly tied up Edie’s hair in a short ponytail. Nobody wanted vomit in their hair.

\--

Bennie rushed outside to a truly unexpected sight. Beverly Marsh. She felt a warm blush creep onto her cheeks, but she refocused on the task at hand. Water. She needed to find water. Not fully sure where the dining area was, she turned in circles for a moment before simply deciding on a direction. But the worry and absolute confusion must have been visible on her face, because Beverly Marsh was suddenly standing in front of her.

“Hey, Bennie,” her voice went up a bit at the end, making a question out of Bennie’s name.

“Yeah?” Bennie looked up at her, completely aware that she must have looked like a tomato in that exact moment.

“Are you ok?”

“Oh, uh huh. I just got turned around looking for some water.”

Bev smiled softly and shielded her eyes from the sun.

“You’re going the wrong way,” she pointed back over Bennie’s shoulder. “I can walk you over there, if you’d like. Rikki was going to get us something to eat anyway.”

“Ok, that sounds nice. Thanks.”

Bev nodded slightly and looped her arm through Bennie’s, pulling her towards the dining area.

\--

Thankfully, there weren’t many people eating, so it was easy enough to find Rikki. She waved from a far and Bev waved back with the same amount of excitement. Her arm was still linked with Bennie’s as they walked over to Rikki’s table. But Bennie seemed to have an anxious air about her.

Once they had reached the table, she backed up and motioned toward the line with her head.

“I have to go get some water. See you around?” the question was vague enough that it could have been directed at both Bev and Rikki, but she refused to meet Bev’s eyes while asking.

“Yeah, see you around.”

After Bennie walked away, Rikki shot a glance at Bev.

“Sooooo, what was that?”

“She needed help finding some water. I knew where the water was. You’re a dumbass.”

“These all seem like facts. I want opinions.” Rikki grinned a wide stupid grin and rested her chin on her hands. “Give.”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen her out and about. And I thought she could use some help. We aren’t close enough for their to be full opinions.”

“Are there half opinions?” she wiggled her eyebrows and Bev shoved her lightly.

“Oh, shut up Icky Rikki.”

The two playfully bumped shoulders, laughing loudly at their own foolish antics.

\--

Edie listened to the sound of the wind outside the cabin, waiting for Bennie to come back. Her stomach twisted and lurched and she thought she might hurl again, but the moment passed, and she let her eyes droop closed. What was worrying her most was the question bouncing around in her head. Why did she feel so nauseous?

Her thoughts kept coming back to worse and worse reasons, but she tried to calm herself down. It was good Bennie had decided to visit, because otherwise she probably would have driven herself up a wall with panic.

The door opened and Edie squinted over at it, seeing Bennie standing in the entrance. Her eyes shifted to the water bottle in her hand and Edie stuck her hand out, making a grabbing motion. Bennie handed it over to her and took her seat by her side on the bunk. She placed a gentle hand on Edie’s back and rubbed it in soothing circular movements.

“Are you alright?”

Edie nodded as she gulped down water, trying to wash away the sour taste.

“Good, good.”

After downing a fair amount of the water, Edie sat back a bit and rested her head on Bennie’s shoulder. It wasn’t long before she had drifted off. Bennie sat for as long as she could with Edie’s head on her, but after a number of minutes she gingerly moved her shoulder and settled Edie in a more comfortable position.

\--

A line of campers stood in front of Rikki and Bev, but some of them were getting visibly impatient. Rikki couldn’t necessarily blame them, Bev was extremely careful with her work. She took her time getting the measurements she needed for all of the costumes. The time passed slowly, but Bev would talk over her shoulder to Rikki and it didn’t really matter anymore. She would take whatever kind of time she could get with Bev while she was there. The kids weren’t thrilled, but eventually all of the measurements had been taken and they were free to go.

However, the campers’ excitement did nothing to quell Rikki’s own disappointment. Since Bev had the measurements she needed, it would be time for her to go.

The two walked to the edge of camp and Rikki slipped some money to Bev for the costumes.

“Nuh uh, you are not going to pay me for this.”

“It’s not my money. It’s the camp’s. Plus, you have to take it. Those are the rules and if you refuse, I will die. Right here, right now.” Rikki stuck her tongue out and let her head flop to the side.

“Sure you will,” Bev grinned. “Fine, I’ll take the money. But only because you’ll die otherwise, and I can’t take such a beautiful creature away from humanity.”

“Yeah, it would be a crying shame.”

Bev pulled Rikki into a hug, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“See ya soon, nerd.”

“Not soon enough.”

“Not soon enough,” Bev agreed and gave a slight nod.

Rikki watched as Bev walked back to Stan’s car, wishing she could stay just a little bit longer. As she was watching though, she saw Bennie getting into her own car. A sudden thought popped into her head as she realized Bev hadn’t noticed her.

She ran over to Bennie’s car, getting to her just before she started to back up. Her eyes widened for a second in surprise and Rikki seized the moment.

“Hey, can I have your number?”

“What? Why?”

“Uh, looking to expand my friend group?”

Bennie smiled kindly, not really caring that Rikki was lying. She pulled an old receipt out of her wallet and wrote her number on it before giving it to Rikki.

“There you go. Bye,” she turned her head to back up and then snapped back to Rikki. “Oh, and can you make sure Edie’s ok through the night?”

“Yeah, totally. Bye.”

Rikki waited until Bennie had pulled away to let her confusion take over her expression. Why did she need to make sure Edie was ok?

She turned on her heel and hurried back to the cabin, sending off a quick text to Bev. Bennie’s number. Once she was inside, Rikki found Edie sitting on her bunk, her back pressed against the wall. It wasn’t dissimilar to the position she was in on the first day of camp.

“Hey, are you ok?” her tone came out softer than usual, and she was concerned it would betray something in her.

“I’m ok enough, I think.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I threw up earlier, but I feel better now. However, there is a fun part of me that thinks I have worms. Or that I’m dying.” Edie smiled slightly, looking up at Rikki.

“Oh, shit. It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t here when that happened. I’m like a leaky faucet when it comes to puke. One wrong move, and I’m spewing my guts.”

A small giggle fell from Edie’s lips.

“Yeah, definitely a good thing you weren’t here. I think if you were, I would have wanted to die instead of just thinking I was.”

“Oh, how you continue to wound me!”

Edie nodded absentmindedly and patted next to her on the bunk. Rikki joined her and the two sat and talked for a while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting close to the halfway mark! Have a nice day! <3


	8. Double Dog Dare You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obstacle course and some rehearsals

The bug ended up simply being a twenty-four hour one, but Edie refused to leave the cabin for a whole extra day. She was fine, but her medical anxieties tied her stomach in knots until she was able to convince herself she was healthy enough. All of this ate up her day spent entirely in the cabin, but after that Edie forced herself to go back to her scheduled activities. Plus, she really didn’t want to miss out on watching the campers try the obstacle course again.

So, Edie got up and ready for the day ahead of her. There was still a part of her that felt like she could curl into a ball and die, but she knew it was all in her head. Though knowing didn’t make it any easier to dismiss those thoughts.

Standing by the obstacle course, Edie ticked off names as the campers settled onto the seats around her. It didn’t take long for the seats to fill up with all of the kids that had signed up.

Once she was sure there weren’t any stragglers, Edie gave them all the go ahead. The campers rushed over to the course, running around and doing their best. She held a stopwatch in her hand and watched as the kids went absolutely bonkers. The first camper to finish the obstacle course came back over to her and she moved the bag from behind her, letting them reach in and grab a prize. The kid took their toy and hurried off to go join their friends.

The other campers finished one or two at a time, each taking a prize before they left. By the time they were all gone, Edie had settled back into a warm pit of worry.

She started stacking the chairs, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. The blanket of anxiety resting on her shoulders eased slightly but didn’t go away entirely. So, Edie focused on the tasks at hand instead.

“Hey!”

Twisting around to look, Edie saw Rikki jogging over to her. She stopped in front of her and smiled down at Edie, bending into a bow.

“Is the obstacle course all done for today?”

Edie raised her eyebrows as she gestured to the stacked chairs and lack of campers.

“Tell me, what do you think?”

“Ok, great! I dare you to go through it with me!”

“You dare me? Are we suddenly back in middle school?”

“If we were in middle school, I’d probably be wasting your time with terrible impressions. You’d be sick of me,” Rikki’s tone was wistful, but her Cheshire grin was still extremely present.

“I am sick of you and your bad accents. Oh god, I never wanted to go back to middle school. Worst years and all that. But here I am, all because of you.”

They smiled at one another and laughed at their jokes that shouldn’t have been classified as such.

“Oh, fuck it. I accept your dare, dick.”

Rikki bounced on the balls of her feet and then hurried over to the start of the obstacle course. Edie joined her and they counted down from three. The two launched themselves forward, weaving through cones and jumping on little stone paths. At the start they were pretty neck-and-neck, but Edie took over the lead not long into it. She finished first,   
turning back to watch Rikki go through the last portion.

“So, tell me how that dare went for you. Did it go well? Did you win?” Edie put her hand up to her ear and leaned toward Rikki.

“Wow, I had no idea you would be such a terrible winner. Gotta love that in a girl.”

Edie sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes widened for a second before she settled her expression. She nodded quickly and looked at the ground.

“Yep, sure do.”

She picked up her stuff and started backing up.

“Welp, I gotta go. See ya later.”

With her back to Rikki, Edie allowed her face to scrunch up in confusion. What the fuck was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly feel sick again?

\--

Rehearsal was interesting to say the least. It had been a couple of days since they had last gathered and the kids seemed eager to get started, but kinda lost. Kay’s script worked well enough for a trimmed down version of the little mermaid, though they were still working with a decent number of campers that all had to have at least one line. Which was where the confusion came in. Because if Rikki was being honest with herself, some of the kids just didn’t know how to follow a script.

It didn’t help that she wasn’t sure what was going on with Edie. She thought they’d been better. Hoped that they’d been better. But then… She didn’t know. And she couldn’t ask Edie, because she was a no show.

The campers fumbled with their scripts and props, making a mess of the musical. It wouldn’t be bad forever though, they just had to get a hang of things.

Rikki propped her legs up on the table in front of her as she watched the kids move around the stage. Kay stood up abruptly and hurried off somewhere behind Rikki, but she didn’t turn to look. She was busy trying to make sure the campers didn’t fling themselves off the stage.

“How have you been? I’ve missed you in the middle of all of this,” Kay’s voice was a bit tenser than normal, but there was also an air of concern coating her tones.

“I’m better now, just needed some time. I see things are going…” Edie’s voice trailed off and Rikki whipped around as soon as she realized it was her. She flailed her arms slightly, trying to regain her balance.

Edie was still gesturing to the stage when Rikki was able to get a look at her. It didn’t feel like they had only seen each other a few hours ago. It didn’t feel like they had only been talking for a little over a week. And honestly, she didn’t know what to do now that Edie was there. Because despite how she felt, Edie didn’t seem to feel the same way.

Kay and Edie’s conversation was short and when she noticed Rikki staring at her she flicked her off with a smile.

Rikki focused her attention back on the kids, getting back to her job of making sure they didn’t hurt themselves. Kay walked over to the edge of the stage and tried to give more precise instructions. Now that her conversation with Kay had ended, Edie sat down next to Rikki.

“Sorry about earlier. I felt kind of sick again, but I think it was all in my head.”

Oh.

“No worries, I figured you were just intimidated by all this sexy.” Rikki motioned down at herself, grinning even though she felt like a complete fool.

“Give me a fucking break, you look like a deep-fried dog turd.”

“Mm-hm, mmm-hm, and that is incredibly sexy.”

“Sure, yeah, whatever will make you shut up.”

Edie rolled her eyes, but Rikki felt a flutter build up in her stomach. Her heart needed to shut the fuck up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am increasingly losing ideas on how to title the chapters or describe them. That being said, hope you enjoyed and have a nice day! :)


	9. She Loves Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capture the flag, a love confession, some costume sketches, and a marriage proposal

“You’re so on!”

The campers were already running around in an intense game of capture the flag as Rikki put her hand out for Edie to shake on it.

“You just answered for me. I’m not going to bet on the campers, dumbass. Especially when I know you’d cry after your inevitable loss.”

Rikki gasped dramatically.

“That’s how we’re gonna play it?”

“Yup,” Edie nodded.

“Then I will reiterate my earlier statement. You’re so on!”

The two split up to focus on the teams. Rikki hurried over to the nearest member of the red team and Edie did the same with a member of the blue. They each made an attempt to fill the campers in on where to go, but the kids lost interest quite quickly and went back to the fame at hand.

So, they resorted to loudly cheering them on from the sidelines and just waiting for a winner to emerge. It didn’t take long for that to get boring, so Rikki and Edie sat together on one of the nearby benches.

“Before we delve deeper into this wonderful thing called friendship, I have to admit something to you, Apple.”

Edie’s body tensed slightly, and she forced out a small laugh.

“I was really hoping you’d forgotten that awful nickname.”

“You love it.” Rikki nudged her with her elbow.

“No, I really don’t.”

But she kind of did.

“Just keep lying to yourself. But really, I need to get this off of my chest.”

“Ok? What is it?” she forced her voice to stay calm, but inside Edie was pulling herself a part with worry. Rikki knew. Rikki knew something. Something that Edie herself wasn’t quite sure of.

“Your mom and I… We’re lovers. I know this is probably breaking your heart, but it’s true. She’s very gentle and I would love to see her again, but if it jeopardizes our friendship, I won’t.”

“Jesus Christ! Are you ever not disgusting?”

“Hey! I am a lovely, polite young lady! And I will not stand for this slander!”

A wave of relief flowed through Edie and she burst into a fit of giggles.

“You’re right, you definitely are a polite young lady. Absolutely.”

Before Rikki could say anything back, one of the campers shouted out that they had the flag. Both of them whipped their heads up to see who had one.

“Yes! Ha! In your face! Inevitable loss my ass!” Rikki turned and stuck her butt out at Edie.

Edie looked away, shaking her head.

“Congrats.”

The kids came running over to the two of them and Edie smiled at all of them. Rikki put her hands out for them to give high fives as they passed by her, making sure to get every kid that wanted to high five. Above their heads though, she stuck her tongue out at Edie quickly.

They split up after taking care of the campers, Rikki going to get some food and Edie heading off back to the cabin.

Edie plopped down onto her bunk and pulled her phone out of her pack. Bill had apparently texted her while she and Rikki had watched over capture the flag. She sat back, sliding onto the bunk a bit more before checking what Bill had written.

BDE: CALL ME CALL ME CDJL MR

She called him up immediately, listening to the rings as she waited for him to pick up.

“She loves me! Fuck, she said she loves me!”

“I’m going to take a highly educated guess right now and assume Audra told you she loves you?”

“Yeah, she said it. To my face! Wow!”

“Is this a good thing? Did it go well?”

“It’s amazing! Dude, I can’t believe it!”

“Well, shit! I’m glad it all went well.”

“Me too!”

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Uh, yeah? I mean we can talk about other stuff if you want, but that’s all I had in my brain.”

“No, it’s cool. I have to get to another activity in a little bit, but right now I kind of want to zone out. So, if you didn’t have anything in mind, I’m fine with this being it.”

“Ok, we’ll talk again soon though.”

“Yeah, I know. And hey, I’m really happy for you Billy boy.”

“Thanks.”

\--

Rikki sat alone at one of the tables, eating nachos that would have given those found in a cafeteria a run for their money. She wasn’t really focusing on anything when Kay sat down across from her. Bringing herself back to the moment, she grinned over at her.

“Hello there, sunshine.”

“Hey, Rik. I was wondering if Bev had said anything about the costumes. Like, does she have any sketches for any of them or anything? Because the senior counselors want to see something for them, and I don’t have anything to show them.”

“She hasn’t said anything yet, but I can ask her really quickly and send what I get over to you.”

Kay nodded and smiled.

“That would be fantastic! You’re a lifesaver! I’m gonna head back over to Mel, but if you need anything just let me know.”

“Oh, Kay. You should know better than to offer a favor to a member of the fae folk. You’re now indebted to me for life.”

“I’m terrified. And I’m going now.”

Rikki waved as Kay returned to her table.

Once she was gone, Rikki grabbed her phone and started to text Bev. Though in the middle of typing out her question, a message came through from Bev herself.

Dam Girk: ok, fuckface. i texted her and she just got back to me. don’t ask any questions, but i will be marrying her

Rikki: u cant tell me what to do, im my own ruler. seriously tho, kay needs info on the costumes. pwetty pwease spawe a cwumb of costume? and i want to know more about ur exchange w this girl that has taken my place as ur wife

Rikki ate another chip, waiting for Bev to write back. The cheese had already taken on a semi-plasticky consistency, but she didn’t really mind all that much. It was more nostalgic than gross, and she’d dared herself to eat a fair share of terrible food in the past.

Dam Girk: i can send some sketches over right away. and tell kay i lub her. but no, you will get no information on bennie. ask your gf about her if you wanna know so badly. also, i   
figured you two could just be sisterwives <3

Rikki: ill take those sketches now. gimme, gimme. oh, and unlike u, i dont have a gf, cheater. tho maybe i want to… haha no i dont

Dam Girk: i fucking knew you liked her! stupid gay

Rikki: uno reverse

Bev texted the pictures of the costume sketches and then Rikki sent them off to Kay, who turned in her seat and gave Rikki a double thumbs up.

Standing up, Rikki headed out to the edge of the pier again. She made sure she stayed aware of her surroundings as she started jotting some more ideas down in her little notebook. Recently she’d been straying from her usual lyrics and had instead been writing songs about a sunkissed girl. And she didn’t really mind the way they had been turning out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway through! Have a nice day and stay safe! <3


	10. It's All Poison Ivy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nature hike gone wrong and some little braids

The backpack on Edie’s shoulders was a solid weight, but she was too nervous to leave it behind. If something went wrong on the hike, she would need the contents of her bag.   
And in Edie’s mind there was a constant chance for danger. Especially when combining children and possibly poisonous berries.

“Ok, campers. We’re going to stick together and if you need any help, you can come to Rikki or me. Everybody understand?” Edie’s voice rang out.

The campers nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Rikki giving a big thumbs up.

“Great! Let’s go check out some plants!” Rikki joined in.

They all grouped together and headed further into the woods around them. The trees swallowed them up quite soon after they entered. Edie doublechecked that her map was still tucked into her pocket in case they got turned around. With her other hand, she pulled out a book on native flora. Her hope was that she wouldn’t have to use it, but if she did, she wanted to have it at the ready.

Edie kept a safe distance from any leaves hanging over the worn paths, convinced that if she touched anything it would turn out to be poison ivy. 

The first few groupings of plants they came across were primarily just shrubs, maple trees, and a couple of small mushroom clusters. However, there wasn’t really anything Edie found she could comment on. Every few moments she would glance back at Rikki, hoping maybe she’d missed something interesting. Eventually, they came across a small babbling brook and Edie had the campers look to see if they could spot any animals in the water.

“Do you know anything about the woods?” Edie asked, looking over at Rikki.

She just shrugged in return, shaking her head.

“The most I know about anything nature related comes from my friend and my time spent in the barrens. Otherwise, I got nothing.”

“I can’t even say I have a friend that’s filled my head with nature facts. I’m completely clueless over here. Closest I’ve gotten to understanding nature is knowing which ones I’m allergic to.”

“You could always lie to them, make up plant names. Or just call everything the same thing! Really mess with their knowledge of plants. Like, you could say that that’s oak. And that’s oak, too! Basically, all of it is now simply oak.” Rikki pointed in a number of different directions as she spoke.

“I’m not going to do that! We’re just gonna have to try our best,” her voice rose in a slight question at the end and she turned her attention back to the campers.

They started on again, finally finding something Edie could point to with familiarity, a patch of clovers. The campers all took it upon themselves to hunt for a four-leafed clover. It was green all over and the search would most likely eat up a bunch of their time, but Edie was kind of thankful for it. She tucked the book on plants back into her pocket and watched as the kids creeped through the clovers. But her attention was pulled away by a sudden shout.

She instructed the campers to keep looking and hurried in the direction of the shout. She found the source of the sound pretty quickly since it turned out to be Rikki. In a ditch-like area Rikki was flat on her back. Edie carefully scooted down into the ditch with her and offered her hand.

“What happened? Are you ok?” her words were coming out too quickly as she helped Rikki to her feet.

Once Rikki was standing again, Edie started checking her for any injuries.

“I’m fine. I just saw a bird and was trying to get a picture for Stan,” her eyes followed Edie as she circled her. “You don’t have to pretend to care about my well-being to check me out. You could just ask.”

“Shut up! You are not fine! You’re bleeding! And you have dirt and leaves all over you. Oh god, what if it’s poison ivy?”

“It’s not poison ivy. They’re probably just regular leaves. Don’t worry your pretty little head about me.”

Edie shook her head and crawled back up to where the campers were, helping Rikki up as well. She walked over to the kids and gathered them around, letting them know that the nature hike was over. A few sounds of disappointment rippled through the group, but for the most part they understood.

Leading them back to camp, Edie kept a close watch on Rikki. Once they were back, she grabbed Rikki’s arm and pulled her over to their cabin.

\--

“Sit down.”

Rikki plopped down onto Edie’s bunk and watched as she pulled out numerous supplies from her backpack.

“Whoa, did you think we’d need all of that for the campers?”

Edie looked over at Rikki for a second with a slight frown.

“I wasn’t sure. But I’m about to use it on you, so I think I was right to worry.”

Rikki nodded and stared up at the underside of her own bunk. The wood was lighter than she thought it would be based on the rest of the frame.

“Do you have a hairbrush or comb or anything? Because you have leaves all in there.”

“Oh! Yeah, I actually do.”

She sprung up from her spot on Edie’s bunk and stretched her arms up to the bag resting on her own. Grabbing it, Rikki pulled it over to her and found her hairbrush. She turned back around and kneeled, extending the brush as though it was a sword and she a knight.

“My queen.”

“Thanks, Sir Dumb of Ass.” Edie said as she took the brush from her. “Now I need your arm.”

“No dice. I’m afraid I just can’t part with it.”

Rikki stood and as she did, Edie fixed her with a look. So instead of saying anything else, she put her arm out and smiled sheepishly.

Edie got to work immediately, wiping down her arm and applying some ointment. When Rikki looked at the spot Edie was tending to, she noticed that she was, in fact, bleeding. Something started to sting, and Rikki sucked in a sharp breath, tensing slightly.

“Sorry, I should’ve warned you.” Edie glanced up at her, apologetically.

“S’okay. You’ll just have to kiss the booboo after you’re done torturing me.” She pouted but couldn’t stifle her laughter.

Part of her wanted to rewind time and stop herself from talking, but another part was convinced she could see a light blush tinting Edie’s cheeks. And honestly, she would make herself uncomfortable every time she spoke if it meant Edie would blush because of her.

Edie made quick work of bandaging up her various cuts and scrapes. And Rikki couldn’t help but make too many mummy jokes.

“Ok, can you sit down on the ground?” Edie sat herself down on the edge of her bunk.

Rikki settled in front of Edie on the floor of the cabin, looking up at her. But she turned to face the other direction when Edie made a spinning motion with her finger.

Edie started combing through Rikki’s hair, pulling out the leaves as she came across them. Rikki closed her eyes and let Edie continue on without interruption. It was soothing, someone brushing her hair. And even though it was nice and calming, her heart was thudding in her chest. She hadn’t felt this completely caught off-guard by a crush since her short-lived one on Bev. It was awful. And the best thing in the world.

After her hair was free of leaves, she turned back around to face Edie.

“Hey, Apple?”

“Mm-hm?”

“You think you could braid two little braids on either side of my face? Cause whenever I try, they always sit weird.”

Edie sighed, but there was a small smile on her face.

“I guess I could. But you have to start calling me by my name.”

“Ok, Edie. Whatever you want, Edie.”

“You really like to make everything annoying, huh?”

Rikki nodded and Edie pulled two small hair ties out of a little bag at her side. She braided the little sections quickly, moving her head back to take it all in once she was done.

“How’s it look Dr. K?”

“It looks nice.”

Oh. Oh shit. Why hadn’t she teased her? Rikki wasn’t prepared for sincerity. She could have handled Edie telling her not to call her Dr. K or an insult of any kind. But a compliment? What the fuck was that about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy April Fools Day! Hope everything is ok and no one has been cruel with their jokes. Have a nice day! :) Also, Rikki did manage to get a couple of pictures of the bird as she fell.


	11. Human Furnace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some origami, a hoodie, and some benverly?

Edie pulled her hoodie over her head and handed it over to Rikki.

“How are you cold right now? I was burning up.”

“I run cold and you must just be incredibly hot.” She winked at Edie and let out a small laugh.

Edie nodded and shrugged.

“Yup, I’m a human furnace.”

Rikki stuck her tongue out and Edie copied her in return. Edie looked around at the campers making different paper crafts and then she refocused on her own origami. The half-finished boat looked like a bit of a crumpled mess. Taking a peek over at Rikki’s paper flower, Edie saw that it looked a lot better than her attempt at origami. Actually, it looked really nice.

Continuing with her boat, Edie realized that she was only getting more confused by the instructions in front of her. She furrowed her brows, trying to understand what she was supposed to do. Eventually, she had to face the facts that she had no idea what was going on with her boat.

“Rikki? Can you help me?”

“Oh, Apple Pie. Have you finally realized my skill? My amazing talents?”

“Never mind, I don’t need help.”

“No, wait. I’ll help.”

Rikki pulled the instructions over to her and looked over them, grabbing a new sheet of paper. She made sure Edie was watching her before starting on the boat. Working slowly through the steps, Edie finally started to understand.

They finished their respective boats and Edie grinned.

“Thanks, Rik.”

“No biggie.” Rikki’s stupid grin widened.

Something fluttered in Edie’s stomach and she moved her attention back to her boat before she thought too hard about what had just happened. She took another sheet of paper and got to work making another boat. It came a lot easier to her since she knew what to do. Plus, it was a good distraction.

Once the crafts were all done, Edie wandered down to the eating area and sat down with a small container of strawberry milk. She pulled her two paper boats out of her bag, setting them down on the table. What the fuck was up with her? Rikki was… Rikki. And that was that. There was no way it was anything else.

She pushed the thoughts out of her head again and took a sip of her drink, scrolling through her phone. Bill had posted a photo of Audra and him at the local bookstore and something squeezed inside Edie. She felt so homesick for them. Soon. She had to remind herself that she’d be back with them all soon. And things could go back to normal. She’d be home. Things with Rikki wouldn’t be so confusing. Hell, they would probably be nonexistent. It would be better. But even as she thought it, her chest tightened ever-so-slightly.

Shutting off her phone, Edie just focused on the solids in her day-to-day. She took a deep breath and started reading from the book she’d brought to camp with her. It wasn’t enough to stop her thoughts completely, but it was something. She could give her attention to the fictional struggles of the characters living on the pages instead of her own problems.

\--

Curled up on her bunk, Rikki noticed she was still wearing Edie’s hoodie. She wasn’t sure how she had forgotten to give it back. It just barely fit her. But there she was, also realizing that she didn’t want to take it off. She was warm and it filled her mind with Edie.

Her phone vibrated next to her and Rikki lifted her head to look at the screen. Bev. She smiled softly and checked the text.

Dam Girk: I ASKED HJR OIT. I ASEJD HER OUD

Rikki: holy shit! really?

Dam Girk: YEAH

Rikki: wow, nice! now help me

Dam Girk: what do you mean?

Rikki: u know exactly what i mean

Dam Girk: yeah, i do. what can i do to help?

Rikki: teach me ur ways oh wise one. i dont know how to say feelings

Dam Girk: oh kid, i don’t think there’s anything i can do. just try being honest and if you’re still having a hard time when i come back with the costumes, i’ll see how i can help

Rikki: ok, luv ya

Dam Girk: luv ya sticky rikki

Rikki flopped over, letting her phone fall back onto the bunk. She let out a groan, her face smushed into her pillow. If only it was easy. But it could never be easy. And Edie was straight or uninterested or would get bored of her or or or…

She closed her eyes and listened to the room around her. One of the other counselors was in there with her, talking on the phone. And even though she didn’t want to be a snoop, she heard half of the conversation in the otherwise quiet room. It didn’t seem like anything major, nothing too personal, and it was able to pull her out of her own head.

Once she had pulled herself back into one piece, Rikki hopped down from her bunk and left the cabin. She didn’t have anywhere to go, but she figured wandering around camp was better than forcing herself to fall asleep. Besides, it was still bright enough out.

The air had warmed, so she tugged Edie’s hoodie off and tied it around her waist. She would give it back to her later. Not just yet. She would do a lot of things later. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer and closer to the end, like eight chapters left! Have a nice day! :)


	12. Let Me Take You Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rikki and Edie just have a fun day together

Rikki caught Edie off guard as she sat by the lake.

“We should do something today!” Rikki said, her face right next to Edie’s, her hands on her shoulders.

“Yeah! Like teaching you boundaries!”

Edie shrugged out from Rikki’s grip and turned to look at her. Sometimes she swore it looked like Rikki’s grin was so wide she wouldn’t have been surprised if she found out she could unhinge her jaw. But it wasn’t disconcerting. It was warm.

“Don’t be like that! I know you secretly love me. No one can blame you, I’m irresistible. Now c’mon! Let’s go somewhere!”

“Where would we go? Do you have a car? Cause I don’t.”

“No, but I have a solution!”

“Which is?”

“Kay!”

“You are not guilting Kay into letting you borrow her car. Knowing you, we’d probably be in a crash within seconds.”

“Not fair! I’m a flawless driver.”

“Sure, you are.”

“Plus, I already asked Kay and she said yes. So, you have to.”

“Fuck you,” Edie flicked her off quickly as she spoke for the emphasis. “Fine.”

“Awesome! We’re going to a local diner and a movie.”

“Oh, you taking me on a date now?”

Edie’s face heated up as she talked, and she really couldn’t figure out why. Rikki looked a bit surprised too which was even more confusing. Because Rikki made stupid comments like that all the time. Why was everything so confusing? None of her other friendships were confusing. Not even when they were new. But Rikki? An absolute mystery.

Rikki shook whatever surprise had latched onto her and nodded, her grin returning with ease.

“Yeah, but don’t tell your mom. She’d be heartbroken.”

Edie let out a nervous laugh and nodded.

“That’s definitely believable.”

And then Rikki was taking Edie’s hand and leading her toward the entrance to camp. As they got closer to Kay’s car, it registered that they actually were friends now. Maybe her thoughts of she and Rikki drifting apart after camp was over were wrong. Maybe she’d be stuck with all of the confusion. For a second, she wanted to pull her hand away and hide in the cabin. But she didn’t. Because a more stubborn part of her wanted to go with Rikki. That stubborn part of her was beginning to feel like she would go anywhere with Rikki. If she asked.

But currently she was just going to a movie with her.

The car ride was fine. Surprisingly, Rikki was a pretty decent driver. Edie climbed out of the car and looked over at the movie theater.

“What are we even seeing?”

Rikki shrugged.

“I figured we’d choose now. Pick some random flick.”

“Seriously? You hadn’t planned for a specific time or anything?”

“Eh, what can I say? I’m an unpredictable scamp.”

Which meant they ended up seeing some awful horror movie. It didn’t really matter though, because Rikki kept talking during the film. She would interrupt with stupid   
commentary and add in her own lines. Edie was just glad the theater was empty, because she was positive Rikki would have talked whether there were other people or not.

Walking from the theater to the diner, Rikki just kept rambling on about the movie. As she was about to continue, she paused, and then stopped Edie.

“Hey!”

“What?”

“I meant to give this to you before we left for the movie, but I totally blanked. Here,” she pulled a pink and yellow friendship bracelet out of her pocket.

“Is this- is this why you asked me what my favorite color was?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d grow on you eventually. As I’ve said multiple times already, I’m irresistible.”

“Oh, um. Thanks, Rikki.”

“Anything for you, Apple Pie.”

Edie smiled and let Rikki loop the bracelet around her wrist. She stared down at the intertwining colors and something inside of her seemed to drop. The realization finally hit. She liked Rikki.

Oh fuck.

\--

Edie seemed a little more tense than usual as they sat down at the diner. And Rikki couldn’t figure out what had happened. She had been thinking about saying something, but now that her behavior had shifted, she had a reason to wait. The rejection was going to hurt, and she just wasn’t ready for that. So, waiting was fine by her.

She grabbed the salt and pepper and poured some of each onto the plate in front of her. Moving it around with her straw, she looked over at Edie.

“Ok, let’s play twenty questions.”

“Ok?”

“Except we ask questions about each other.”

“Nope, never mind.”

“Too late! You already said ok,” Rikki laughed maniacally and then took a moment to think. “If it makes you more comfortable, you can ask me questions first.”

“Alright, but if things get too personal, I want an out.”

“Ooh, like a safe word? I like how you think Kaspbrak. I suggest Gretchen Wieners.”

“Question one, how are you so annoying all the time?”

“That’s an easy one. I soak up the energy of people that get annoyed by me like the energizer bunny.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t even be surprised if you weren’t joking right now. Ok, two. So, you don’t have any siblings, but do you have any pets?”

“No, I’m living with my friends currently and we don’t have the money to support a freeloader.”

“Did you just call all pets freeloaders?”

“Yes, I did. And that counts for a question.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too.”

The rest of Edie’s questions were pretty easy to answer and passed quickly. Rikki took a moment to consider her first question.

“Does your mom ever talk about me?”

“Are you really wasting your first question on a joke about my mom?”

She nodded eagerly and Edie sighed.

“Yeah, she mutters in her sleep how much she despises you.”

“Aww, you jealous that your mom likes me better than you? Is that why you’re lying to my face right now?”

Edie nodded, “That’s exactly it.”

Their check came and they decided to finish the game on the ride back to camp.

“What are your friends like?”

“Well, I’ve known Bill the longest and he’s practically a brother to me. And his little brother, Georgie, is adorable. I mean, he’s like fully a teen, but he still seems about six in my head. Audra’s great. She’s really into movies and all that. So, if you need someone to tell you the best movies from the last few decades, she’s the one to go to. And Bennie is super sweet. She came to camp the day I was sick and basically just took care of me.”

“Wow, they sound great. I know I’ve seen Bill around, but I hadn’t really met any of them until Bennie visited. We ran into each other briefly. She definitely does seem nice.”

Edie nodded, absentmindedly.

Rikki breezed through the rest of her questions as they drove and even though she wanted to ask Edie if she liked her, she didn’t. It wouldn’t end well. And then the rest of camp would be miserable and filled with awkward energy. Rikki didn’t want to ruin this friendship. She liked Edie. She liked spending time with Edie. And confessing? It would change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next, like, two are fun times. Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day! :)


	13. I Saw You Crying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The counselors get together sometimes and have little cabin parties. This is one of those times

A crack of thunder startled Edie out of her sleep and she blinked in the darkness of the cabin. The rain was loud all around her, but it wasn’t the only sound. Rikki sounded like she was… crying?

Edie slipped out of her bunk and stood on her tip toes. She squinted through the dark to focus on Rikki, who was definitely crying, but also one hundred percent asleep. She reached an arm over to her to wake her up.

“Rik, hey Rikki. Wake up.” Edie kept her tone light so as to let the other counselors in the cabin keep sleeping.

It took a short bit, but finally Rikki opened her eyes and looked over at Edie. Her face was slick with tears and she looked confused. Edie pulled her arm back and waited for her to properly wake up. Rikki propped herself up on her arm.

“Apple? What’s up?”

“You were crying.”

“Oh.”

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I just get nightmares. Like, a lot.”

“Do you- uh, do you want me to come up there with you? Would that help with your nightmare?”

Rikki blinked in surprise.

“That would be nice. It couldn’t hurt to see if it would help, right?”

“Right,” Edie nodded and climbed the little ladder to the top bunk.

She waited at the edge as Rikki scooted over and then she pulled herself on top. The two looked at each other for a moment before lying down. They were shoulder-to-shoulder in the bed and it didn’t really leave either of them any room. Edie was considering shifting somehow, but then she heard Rikki’s breathing even out and an arm wrapped around her waist. Her cheeks grew hot and she closed her eyes, trying to force herself to fall asleep.

The whole moment felt incredibly fake, like she was already dreaming.

With her mind buzzing, she rested one of her hands on Rikki’s arm. Her body felt like it was full of bees, but somehow, she managed to drift off.

However, at one point in the night, Rikki woke up with a start which woke Edie as well. She pulled herself closer to Rikki and draped an arm over her. It didn’t take long for the two to fall back into sleep for the second time that night.

\--

When Rikki woke up, she found herself alone in her bunk. She almost thought the whole night had been a dream, but she knew her nightmares wouldn’t have given up for a night to give her that. And she figured Edie had left because of some activities. Though part of her was worried she’d left because she’d come to her senses.

She made herself move on from the train of thought and get ready.

The day went by quite quickly and even though she liked her camp duties, she was excited for the night ahead of her. On Fridays, some of the counselors put together a camp counselor night. They played little party games and just hung out after the campers had been put to bed. And Edie had agreed to tag along with her.

Rikki sifted through the clothes in her bag, looking for a different shirt to wear. She eventually pulled out a light blue-grey shirt with a simple smiley face on it and slipped it on. Layering a striped bowling shirt over top.

Then she got to work on braiding the sections on either side of her face. When she was done, she realized they weren’t sitting fully flat. But that wasn’t a surprise to her in the slightest. 

Once she was ready, she headed out towards one of the other cabins, looking for Edie as she walked. She spotted her waiting by the cabin door as she got closer. Rikki tapped her on one shoulder, switching to the other side quickly. Edie turned and then turned quickly back around to face Rikki.

“Oh, so you really are three, huh?”

“Yup!”

Edie looked at her for a moment longer, stepping closer. She reached her hand out and touched one of Rikki’s little braids.

“You did it on your own?” 

For a second, Rikki convinced herself there was an edge of disappointment to Edie’s tone, but shook off the thought. Why would she be upset about Rikki doing her own braids?

“Yeah, they’re not perfect, but yeah.”

“I could’ve helped you if you wanted.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t die, did I? But maybe next time?”

Edie nodded slightly.

“C’mon, let’s party.” She poked Edie’s side, who flinched away in response.

Rikki opened the door, holding it for Edie. The two walked in, joining a group of other counselors. They were all talking amongst themselves, but it looked like a few were starting to gather everyone together.

Kay noticed them from the other side of the room and waved them over to her. Rikki made grabby hands at her and she laughed, handing over her cup. Glancing over, Rikki saw a visible look of disgust on Edie’s face, but she took a sip anyway.

“What’s going on over there?” Edie pointed to where the counselors were beginning to form a circle.

“Oh, they’re getting people together for spin the bottle. You joining?” Kay asked, casually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not above cliches in the slightest. ;) Have a nice day!


	14. Go On, Spin the Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party continues, who's up for a game of good old spin the bottle?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't think I ever mentioned this, but Mel and Kay are girlfriends

Rikki gave an enthusiastic yes as Edie shook her head no.

Edie’s head snapped over to Rikki.

“You’re seriously gonna play? That’s just swapping spit with random chance.”

“Don’t be such a buzzkill! It’s kissing randos for fun!”

“Mel and I are joining in, too.” Kay interjected with a glint in her eye.

“Edie! You can’t be the only one missing out!” Rikki grinned at her and she could feel the tips of her ears heating up.

“No, you’re not getting me to do this.”

“Do it! Do it! Do it!”

Then they were all sitting in the circle. And Edie was nervous, but she was also kind of excited. There were so many things that could go wrong, but there was something that could go right. Plus, it was something she would never even consider doing normally. This was a camp Edie moment.

She looked over at Rikki as the first person spun the bottle. Rikki just fit so well in party settings. She had the high energy and she was able to talk so easily with people. Her grin was always so wide, and that moment was no exception. Edie heard her laugh ring out over the cheers as two more people kissed in the middle of the circle.

Turning her attention back to the bottle, Edie watched Kay spin it. She followed the spin as it landed on Rikki. Part of her tensed, but she knew it didn’t matter. It was a game. It was Kay. It was Rikki. And they were just friends.

The kiss was quick and then the bottle was spinning again. Eventually, it was Rikki’s turn. As the bottle turned in circles, Edie hoped it would land on her. But as it passed her again, the bottle landed on a guy a few people to her right. She tried to convince herself her disappointment was relief, but she knew it wasn’t.

A few kisses later, it was Edie’s turn to spin the bottle and she was starting to really regret joining the game. Despite this, she spun the bottle and waited. Her eyes tracked the spin and when it landed, there was a second where she thought she would throw up. But the rest of her was humming with positive energy. She looked up at Rikki, their eyes meeting. Rikki looked shocked and hesitant. But as soon as Edie started moving toward the center of the circle, Rikki followed her lead.

They met in the middle and Rikki placed one hand lightly on Edie’s shoulder. Edie nodded almost imperceptibly. And then, they were kissing. The room seemed frozen in time, the two of them together. Edie could hear her heartbeat in her ears and she finally pulled away.

The second she pulled back, she could hear the rest of the counselors cheering like they had for the others. As the next person went, everything started to hit her. She just kissed Rikki. She liked it. She wanted to do it again. Her eyes found Rikki again and when she looked at her, Edie saw that Rikki was looking at her too. And suddenly it was A Lot. She stood up, excusing herself from the game, and walked out of the cabin. Edie kept a steady pace so she didn’t raise any suspicions and she made her way over to a nearby bench, sitting down before her legs could give out beneath her.

\--

Rikki waited. She waited for as long as she could. But she was practically boiling over with nervous energy. What the fuck had just happened? Another person spun the bottle. And another. And finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

Leaving the game, she hurried after Edie. Her only hope was that she would still be able to catch up with her. Scratch that. Her only hope was that their friendship wasn’t suddenly fucked. There was no way she would be able to handle that. No way she’d be able to go through the rest of camp with Edie hating her. It was the exact reason she had avoided saying anything about how she felt. She was going to be crushed when Edie told her they couldn’t be friends. The idea of it was already devastating.

But still, she exited the cabin and looked for Edie. The search took about two seconds as she looked to her left and saw Edie sitting on a bench. Rikki took a deep breath and walked over. When Edie saw her, she stood abruptly and turned to face her. Her movements were rigid and awkward.

“Hey, dude. You ok? I’m so sorry if I crossed any lines or screwed anything up. It was just a game, y’know. We didn’t have to-” Rikki started, rambling on until Edie cut in.

“I know.”

“You know?”

“That it’s a game. That we didn’t have to.”

“Ok?”

“And you didn’t cross any lines.”

“Good, I’m glad. Because I really like being your friend and I don’t want to mess that up.”

Edie stepped closer to her, shutting Rikki up.

“A little close aren’t we Apple?”

“Hey Rikki?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

“Oh.”

Rikki stood for a moment, unsure of what would come next. She had an idea, but it didn’t want to assume. But then Edie put a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Pulled her into a kiss. She bent slightly to make it easier and her own hands were gently holding Edie’s face. Even though they had just kissed moments before in the cabin, it was new all over again. And she wanted to hold onto the moment. She wanted to live in the moment until it grew old. But it wouldn’t grow old.

She dissolved into a mound of seafoam as they kissed, no longer a person. And then Edie pulled away again and they were staring at each other, stuck in silence.

Edie put a couple of steps between them.

“I um, I have to go. I need to wake up early for activities tomorrow. Next time I’m braiding your hair.”

Rikki nodded as Edie turned and hurried back toward their cabin. There were tears in her eyes and she had no idea why. Part of her was all confusion and the other part of her could have jumped for joy. Instead, she settled for sitting on the bench where she had found Edie. Her mind kept circling the night and once again she couldn’t help but wonder what the fuck had happened.

A few of the tears spilled over and she just sat there, crying, but not really crying, because a girl had kissed her. Because Edith Kasbrak had kissed her. Twice. And she was the luckiest girl at camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, there's that. I ended up making a pinterest board and playlist for this fic, because I can. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2UVmeJOrg9eJ5qT5I0F5Dj  
> https://pin.it/5sCXEF9  
> The pinterest bored is messy, but I'm just not the best at making them nice.  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Have a nice day!! :)


	15. She Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day some things get confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title: Edie can be a little foolish, as a treat

Edie lingered in the cabin, kind of hoping Rikki would wake up before she had to go. But the idea of talking about the previous night also terrified her. In a good way. Even though Edie waited as long as she could, Rikki was still asleep when she left.

It hadn’t really hit that everything had actually happened until she saw Kay. Because Kay wasted no time in making sure she was ok and asking about what had happened. Edie didn’t really have any answers for her aside from the standard reassurances that she was fine. And she was. She was more than fine. She was really good.

By the time her first activity had wrapped up, Edie wanted to talk to Rikki. She wanted to just see her again. Maybe kiss her again.

She set out to look for her but stopped in her tracks when she saw Rikki with Beverly Marsh. Who had just kissed her cheek. Something inside her dropped. Fell right out of her and down to the center of the earth. It might have been her stomach. Or her lungs. Or her heart. She wasn’t sure it mattered. But she was sure that she had just helped Rikki cheat on her fucking girlfriend.

Edie turned on her heel, racing back to the cabin. She curled up on her bunk, pulling herself into a ball and covering herself with a blanket. Hot tears ran down her face as she replayed Bev laughing and leaning in.

She should have asked if Rikki was seeing someone. Should have asked if she could kiss her again. But she thought that Rikki wanted to kiss her then too.

Her shoulders shook and she tried to calm herself, but nothing was helping. Everything was falling apart. And it had only just started. She thought Rikki liked her. She thought Rikki was single. She thought. She thought. She thought.

Edie shut her eyes and tried to breathe. After a few minutes she was able to even her breathing out enough, but it did nothing to help the ache in her chest and the pit in her stomach.

She had known things wouldn’t go well. Why had she decided to do something like that? Everything was ruined.

\--

Bev draped an arm over Rikki’s shoulders as they walked over to where Kay would be. Both Rikki and Bev were sharing the trouble of carrying all of the costumes.

“So, uh… Something happened last night.”

Bev’s eyes snapped over to Rikki and her expression sat somewhere between concern and excitement.

“What happened?”

“We kissed.”

“You and Edie?”

Rikki nodded, a warm blush coating her cheeks.

“Oh my god! That’s great!”

“I know. I haven’t talked to her today, yet. But I’m really happy about it.”

“I bet you are!”

“Ok, that’s enough talk about me. How are you and your future wife doing?”

“Shut it! Bennie and I have gone on a couple dates. And honestly? She’s so nice. Like, I just want to be near her. A lot. Maybe too much.”

“But is she better than me?”

“Oh, honey, no one could be better than you. Except maybe the entire human population. And some dirty socks.”

“So, what I’m hearing, is you love me more.”

“Yes, that is definitely the takeaway there.”

“Cool.”

“Also, I may have asked her to be my girlfriend and she may have said yes,” Bev rushed through her words.

Rikki bumped her hip against Bev, laughing lightly.

“Fuck you! I was supposed to get a girlfriend first!”

“Since when? You totally just made that up right now.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yeah-huh.”

“Loser.”

“Idiot.”

“That’s really cool though.”

“Thanks, darling. And we’re going on triple dates once you and Edie finally talk.”

“Triple dates?”

“Me and Bennie, Stan and Mike, you and Edie.”

“Oh, ok.”

“Yeah.”

They handed the costumes over to Kay once they got to her and she looked them over closely, hugging Bev after she had done so. And then they were off again, going to do whatever. Just spend their time together before Bev had to go back home all over again.

Rikki brought her along to the activities she had to watch over and Bev helped out a little. It was nice. Having her back for a day. Though soon enough she’d be back at home with Mike and Stan and Bev.

The rest of their day was good, but it was never long enough. She and Bev hugged in front of Stan’s car, not really wanting to say goodbye. But Bev and the others would be back in a few days and then she’d be heading home for the rest of the summer. It would be fine. They would be fine. Still, she felt sad just looking at Stan’s car.

She watched as Bev drove off and then turned to go find Edie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a nice day and stay safe!! <3


	16. Gorillas and Bears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, maybe sometimes people don't talk and instead just make assumptions. Maybe this is one of those times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Getting closer and closer to the end of this. Feels super weird. Hope you enjoy!

Edie had managed to avoid Rikki for the rest of the day. And even though she felt like shit about it, she wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened or what would happen next. So, she spent the next doing the same thing. Being where Rikki wasn’t.

It wasn’t all that hard. Her schedule was actually helping her for once, keeping her busy and away from Rikki. The problem was that deep down she didn’t want to hide from her. Edie wanted to find her and do something about everything that was going on. And she felt incredibly selfish about all of it. Because here she was wanting and needing and trying to ignore reality. Why couldn’t things be easy? Why couldn’t things ever be easy?

She focused on stringing beads with the campers, helping them when they needed her. Edie’s own beads were a jumbled mess of colors with no real theme, but it was something to do. It was better when the campers had trouble with something that she could fix. That wasn’t about her, it was about the kids. And she could help the kids.

Everything was going well enough for her to be ok until she saw Rikki in the dining area. Rikki’s eyes caught hers and that big, stupid grin broke out across her face. And Edie couldn’t handle it. Was Rikki just completely fine with cheating on Bev? Did she even know her at all?

Edie turned back around and hurried out of the dining area, going anywhere that wasn’t there.

\--

Rikki’s heart thundered in her ears. She didn’t understand what was going on. Did Edie regret the kiss? Was that why she was avoiding her? Did she not like her? Why couldn’t they just talk?

She sat back down at the picnic table she had seen Edie from, trying to wrap her head around what was going on. Aside from Edie panicking and regretting the kiss, she couldn’t figure out why she’d just run off like that.

It hadn’t seemed all that strange that she hadn’t been able to find Edie the day before. But now. Everything seemed off. She thought they were good. She thought they were more than good. Maybe Edie had forgotten something. Maybe everything was still fine. And if not, maybe everything would be fine again.

Melanie’s voice cut through her thoughts and pulled Rikki back to the moment playing out in front of her.

“Rik, what do you think?”

“Think about what?”

“What do you think about our current political climate? No, uh, what do you think would win in a fight, gorillas or bears?”

Rikki blinked for a second, looking between Kay and Mel. She let her thoughts of Edie drift away. At least for a little while.

“Oh, definitely gorillas. Those things are fucking shredded!”

The two burst into laughter and Kay flicked Mel’s nose.

“I fucking told you, dumbass. Gorillas are huge and there’s King Kong and all that shit. Have you ever heard of a giant killer bear terrorizing a city?”

“Alright, I surrender! I got the most important question in the world wrong. How dare I.”

“You should really be ashamed of yourself right now, Mel.” Rikki nodded solemnly as she spoke.

Her thoughts floated back to Edie for a moment. Everything would have to be fine. Or she was emotionally fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was such a short chapter. Have a nice day! :)


	17. Twisted on the Pier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The avoidance hits a peak when Edie and Rikki have to sit through a rehearsal together

A few days later, Edie knew her luck had run out. Because the final rehearsal day was upon them, which meant she would be stuck with Rikki. There would be no escape and she had no idea what to expect. Except for stress. And sadness. A fuck ton of sadness.

She forced herself to get ready and go down to the stage where the kids were already getting started. They were dressed in costume and it finally seemed like the show had shaped up pretty well over the course of everything. Edie trained her eyes on the campers for a bit before risking a glance around to see where Rikki was. Which was a bad idea. Because her eyes caught onto Rikki’s and she thought she saw her own sadness reflected back in Rikki’s gaze.

The kids started to go into their dialogue and properly begin the rehearsal, giving Edie a reason to look away. Her heart clenched in her chest and for once she wasn’t worried she was dying. She knew exactly what was happening. She was just sad.

Melanie played the piano in the corner of the stage to initiate the first song of the musical. The campers’ voices all coalesced into one as they sang out the chorus and then they broke off into their separate lines in the song. Kay paced back and forth, making sure everyone knew what they were doing. But Edie was just kind of watching. She didn’t know how to help anymore, and she felt kind of sick.

“Um, Kay. I’m gonna take a short walk. I promise I’ll be back in a second, just feel a little off.”

“Huh?”

Kay looked up at Edie and smiled comfortingly, Edie’s words finally registering.

“Oh, yeah. That’s fine. Take your time.”

“Thanks,” Edie said, turning to go.

She headed off in the direction of the pier, trying to clear her head. It was just better if she took a break for a moment. Besides, she wasn’t really needed at the moment. And Rikki probably didn’t want to see her.

The kids’ singing faded out as she got further away. Standing on the edge of the pier, Edie stared out at the water. The whole thing sucked. And she couldn’t talk to Rikki about it.  
She sat down, letting her legs hang just a bit above the surface of the water. Taking deep breaths, Edie focused on her surroundings instead of her thoughts. She just had to wait this whole thing out. It wouldn’t be forever. And then she and Rikki would only run into each other every once in a while around town. They would drift and it would have to be fine.

\--

Rikki watched as Edie walked off and for a second she was fully committed to the idea of staying put, of avoiding Edie the same way she had been avoiding her. But her curiosity and pure confusion won over. So, after coming to her final decision, Rikki walked in the direction she had seen Edie leave in.

It didn’t take long to find her sitting on the pier and Rikki made her way carefully over to her.

“Edie? I think we need to talk.”

Edie turned to look at her and she saw tears welling up in her eyes. Why was she crying? She was the one that had been doing all of the avoiding. Edie looked away again and nodded.

Rikki sat down next to Edie on the edge of the pier, staring down at the bracelet still tied around Edie’s wrist. She couldn’t make herself look at Edie’s face, so she just focused on the pink and yellow strings twisted together.

“Why aren’t you talking to me anymore? Did I do something wrong? Did you freak out about the kiss? Because if you did, we can still be friends. It’s ok, really.”

“No, I um, I saw Bev visit the other day.”

“Ok, and? What does that have to do with anything?”

Edie fixed her with a look that was a mix of annoyance and hurt.

“Aren’t you two dating? She kissed you on the cheek and you seemed practically attached at the hip.”

Rikki’s eyes met Edie’s, her expression pure surprise.

“What the fuck? That’s why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“Yeah…”

“God, fuck. No, I’m not dating Bev. We’re friends. Really good friends and I don’t have many boundaries. Like, we’re all pretty platonically affectionate. Except Stan, but that’s besides the point right now.”

Edie stared at Rikki, wiping her tears away as she processed the information.

“Oh. Wow, I fucked up, huh?”

“Kinda.” Rikki laughed, her regular grin spreading across her face again. “Maybe next time you could ask me before jumping to really weird conclusions?”  
Edie nodded slightly.

“Can we be ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, we can.”

“Good, I’m glad. Cause I like you a lot.”

“I like you a lot too Apple.”

The two stared at each other for a moment before getting up and heading back over to the stage. As they walked, Edie slipped her hand into Rikki’s. It was still a little raw, but Rikki was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the last before the epilogue chapter and then this is done, so that being said, I hope you've enjoyed so far! Have a nice day!! <3


	18. Kiss the Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the final day of camp and the play is finally happening. Just kind of a simple chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically the end of the main storyline and then the next chapter is just a short epilogue. I can't believe this is basically done. Hope you enjoy!

Edie wrapped her arm around Rikki’s waist, trying to soothe her in her sleep just a little bit. It wasn’t like she could do much, but she could do that. Rikki turned over and tucked her head against Edie. She froze for a second but settled into the contact, drifting off herself.

In the morning, they both got ready and headed out to help get the campers set up for the musical. By the time Edie and Rikki got to the stage, some of the campers were already running around in their costumes. The kid playing Ariel had a bright red wig on, but as she raced around, it threatened to fly off of her head. Kay looked absolutely frazzled.

Edie hurried over to help her out and Kay instructed her to try and wrangle the kids that hadn’t gotten changed yet.

She set off, guiding the campers over to a bathroom and making sure they had the proper costumes before they filed in one-by-one. Once they came out, she sent them back over to Kay and the stage to go through one last short rehearsal.

Rikki wandered over to her and rested her chin on Edie’s shoulder.

“Bev did a good job with the costumes.”

Edie nodded.

“Yeah, let’s just hope the kids don’t rip them before the show even starts.”

Her eyes tracked a camper running after two others and she winced when the girl tripped on her skirt. Thankfully, the fabric seemed to hold up.

Edie turned her head and gave Rikki a quick kiss on the cheek before going back to helping the campers.

A few hours later, the families and friends started to file into camp for the show. The rehearsal had gone well enough and the campers seemed excited. They waited behind the stage, waiting to go up and start the show. Edie watched the families, trying to see if she could spot her friends in the crowd.

Through the throng of people, she could see Audra and Bill. It took her a bit longer to find Bennie, but when she finally saw her, she noticed she was walking with Bev.

“Hey, idiot. Does Bev know Bennie? Because Bennie’s never said anything to me about knowing her.”

Rikki followed Edie’s gaze into the crowd.

“Uh, yeah. They met here when they were both visiting. And they’ve been on a few dates.”

“Wait, what?”

“They’re dating.” Rikki spoke really slowly for emphasis.

“Wow, I had no clue.”

“Yeah, cause you’re a little dumb-dumb. But you’re my little dumb-dumb.”

Edie flicked Rikki off, making sure to hide it from the campers.

She started walking toward the edge of the crowd, trying to get her friends’ attention. Audra spotted her first and pulled Bill with her toward Edie. The two managed to break free from the rest of the people and at some point, Bennie noticed them, because a moment later she and Rikki’s friends were gathered with all of them.

Audra drew Edie to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Bill and Bennie took their turns hugging Edie as well. Once they were done, Edie introduced them all to Rikki. Well, all of them except for Bennie.

\--

And then it was Rikki’s turn to introduce her friends to Edie. They continued talking until the show officially started up, taking their places by the stage, watching. It went on without any big problems, only hitting a small snag when a camper stepped on another’s costume, causing a brief pause. But the rest of it went well.

After it was all done and the families were congratulating the campers, Rikki, Edie, and the rest headed off to go hang out somewhere away from it all. Which resulted in the eight of them crammed into a diner booth.

“So, we send you off to be a camp counselor and you come back with a girlfriend?” Stan asked incredulously.

Rikki grinned and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sexy. What are you gonna do about it?”

Without answering her question, Stan turned their focus to Edie and leaned forward.

“Good luck. I am so sorry.”

“Oh, trust me, I know. I mourn the life I had before I knew this Trashmouth every day.”

Stan nodded understandingly and Rikki gasped.

“Way to gang up on me, guys! It’s not like I don’t have feelings or anything.”

“Sweetie, we all know you sacrificed your emotions to try and gain better comedy skills.” Bev said. “Though the operative word here is try.”

“All of you know?”

Everyone in the booth nodded, even Bill, Audra, and Bennie.

Rikki crossed her arms and turned away, pouting.

“Hey, you can start calling everyone stupid nicknames if it would make you feel better.”

“Oh, Mikey. You get me. Unlike some people,” Rikki glared at Edie and then broke into a wide grin. Her eyes started scanning the others as she tried to come up with nicknames for her new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a nice day!! <3


	19. A Proper Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the epilogue and it takes place a few months after the last chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short little closer and I hope you enjoy it!

Edie and Rikki sat on the couch in Rikki’s apartment, just leaning against each other and reading a comic book. Stan and Mike were sitting on the ground, working on a puzzle with the tv on in the background. It was just a nice casual day.

They got to the end of the comic and Edie frowned.

“Is that really how they’re going to end it? He just dies?”

“Eh, he’ll probably come back. I don’t think this is the end of the run. And if he is really dead, I can rewrite the ending and draw all new panels for you.”

“Mmhm, I’m sure that would turn out great. But I think I can manage without it.”

“Whatever you say, I guess. You’re gonna be missing out though.”

Stan looked over at them and put a finger to their lips. Edie nodded, but Rikki raised her middle finger in response. The two got up and headed into Rikki’s room, sitting on her bed instead. Rikki kissed Edie lightly and then turned to grab a cd. She paused before putting it into her music player, because the front door opened and closed.

Rikki stuck her head back out into the main room and Stan sighed. Bennie and Bev had gotten back with Bill and Audra in tow.

She and Edie popped back into the living room and took their previous places on the couch. Mike stood up, leaving Stan to continue the puzzle. He wandered into the kitchen and started cooking up some food for the eight of them.

When the dinner was all finished, they took whatever available seats they could. They talked as they ate, just existing together. A proper family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really weird finishing this out because this was my first, and so far only, continuous multi-chapter fic. Thank you for reading this! I hope y'all have enjoyed this! Have a great day!! :) <3

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the first chapter of this whole thing. Hope you liked it and I hope it's not too ooc


End file.
